Joining the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black
by Fonzzx
Summary: I was eight years old when I first met Regulus Black. The Blacks were well known within pure blood circles as the oldest and purest family. They threw lavish parties for all the pure bloods to dine together. I met Regulus at one of these parties.
1. Chapter 1

I was eight years old when I first met Regulus Black.

The Blacks were well known within pure blood circles as the oldest and purest family. They threw lavish parties for all the pure bloods to dine together. I met Regulus at one of these parties.

My brother, Lucius, who was six years older than me, had ran off immediately to his friends, leaving me alone with my mother and father, to be introduced to the Blacks.

Mrs Black was scolding her oldest child, who appeared to be a little older than me. She sent him to his room, something he looked quite pleased about.

"Please excuse my son," she said smoothly, her anger disappearing immediately upon seeing my father. "Our niece, Andromeda, has just defected, it is a difficult time for us all."

"I understand," my father said. "Allow me to introduce my wife, Arabella, and my daughter, Lucilla. Of course, you already know Lucius, as he is courting Narcissa."

I bowed my head respectfully as I had been taught to do, my sleek blonde hair falling into my face.

"Well, this is a delight!" Mrs Black exclaimed. "Regulus, come here, and look after Lucilla."

A boy my age, almost identical to his brother, stepped towards me.

"Hello," he said shyly, his grey eyes probing my pale blue ones.

He sat with me at dinner, although neither of us said a word. We were both extraordinarily shy.

We met again at Hogwarts when we were both eleven. We'd been sorted into Slytherin together, Lucius was a prefect and wrote home immediately to tell our mother and father that I'd followed in family tradition. There had been some worry when the year before, Sirius Black had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"Hello," a quiet voice said in my ear as I sat beside my brother. I turned around, and there he was, exactly the same, except a few inches taller.

"Hello again," I quipped. I had somewhat gotten over my shyness in those few years. We managed to keep up a conversation throughout the feast, although we were interrupted several times by Lucius introducing his friends, one of which wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention and was staring across the hall.

A fiery redhead had his attention, who was stood and yelling at two boys. One of them I recognised as Regulus' brother, who had become extremely handsome. The other had messy jet black hair and was quite scrawny. Apparently they'd pulled some sort of prank on her, there was steam coming out from under her hair.

"Do something," the boy suddenly turned to Lucius. He had very dark eyes, a rather large nose, and long, dank hair.

"Their prefect will sort them out, don't worry Sev," Lucius told him. "Besides, it looks like she can hold her own."

One of the professors had come along and was sternly lecturing the two boys.

"Idiots," the boy called Sev scoffed at them, before turning back to his plate.

"You must tell me if they start on you again this year Sev," Lucius told him. "It's not right. You are much better than they are."

Sev hung his head. "I will."

"Good. And get a good curse or two in while you can," Lucius smirked, before turning to his girlfriend, who seemed to be arguing with her friend.

"No Cissy, I will not break up with him!" her friend, with a mane of brown her, and soft brown eyes, was saying. "I'm not coming back, not ever! Ted's family accept me for who I am!"

"But Dromeda -"

"No Cissy," the brunette said flatly.

"Bella is out for your head!" Cissy was saying, her short blonde hair falling into her face in agitation.

"I'm not afraid of Bella!"

"Andromeda is engaged to Ted Tonks, a mudblood in Hufflepuff," Regulus explained to me. "Narcissa is her sister, and so is Bellatrix. Bellatrix left Hogwarts a few years ago, Andromeda is in her seventh year and Narcissa is in her fifth."

"I know Cissy," I muttered back to him. "She's engaged to my brother."

Regulus' eyes were drawn the absolutely huge diamond on Cissy's finger. Lucius went all out on that ring, he had it specially made and everything.

Andromeda had fled from the Great Hall by this point, and Cissy was looking disappointed. Lucius caught her hand to reassure her.

"She'll come around."

"I hope so. I mean, Ted's nice enough but..."

"He's a mudblood," Lucius finished for her. "She can't possibly marry him."

Cissy nodded gloomily.

"Bella will talk her round."

"That's what I'm worried about," Cissy said grimly. "Bella's version of talking and ours aren't the same."

After the feast Lucius and Cissy took the first years down to the Slytherin common room in the dungeons. It was beautiful in an eerie way; the walls glimmered and reflected the water from the lake.

My owl, Feathers, was waiting on my bed with a letter when I arrived. I tore it open.

_Dearest Lucilla,_

_Your father and I are so very proud of you for getting into Slytherin. You will go on to do great things, and will follow in Lucius' footsteps, we are sure. Hold your head up and represent our family well, and you will be rewarded. _

_We will see you at Christmas, write to us often._

_Mother_

The girl next to me, who had long curly dark hair, flopped onto her bed.

"I'm Calista," she said.

"Lucilla," I replied.

"That boy you were talking to is very attractive," she grinned at me.

"I suppose he is," I said warily, not knowing where she was going with this.

"Is there something going on there?" she asked slyly.

"No!" I gasped, horrified.

"Good. I can have him then," she grinned.

"Er, alright." I was a bit stunned by the conversation.

"Night."

The next morning, Calista and I ran into Regulus in the common room on the way to breakfast.

"Good morning," he said politely, his eyes on her. I introduced them quickly, annoyed by how giggly she'd become in his presence. Merlin, we were only eleven.

We walked through the dungeons, stomachs growling, when suddenly Regulus held his arm out to stop us. Someone was whispering round the corner.

I chanced a peek. It was Cissy's sister, speaking to a tall, sandy haired boy in a yellow tie. He was holding her hand cheerfully.

"Ted, I need to tell you something."

"If it's that your sisters don't approve, tell me something I don't know," he laughed dryly.

"No..." she bit her lip. "I'm pregnant," she blurted in a rush.

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded, and he grinned even wider and scooped her up in his arms.

"That's bloody brilliant!"

"Ted! We're seventeen!"

"I don't give two shits, Dromeda. You make me happy, and now we'll have a happy little baby too."

"Should we tell Cissy?" I whispered to Regulus. He nodded in reply, and led us in the direction of the Great Hall.

"Sleep well?" Lucius asked me as he piled eggs onto my plate.

I nodded. "Where's Cissy?"

He looked down the table and waved her over.

"Andromeda's pregnant," Regulus told her, and she paled.

"Are you sure?"

"We overheard her telling Tonks."

She ran off.

"You're a good kid, Regulus," Lucius told him. "Your mother was telling me about you at the last Black family dinner."

Regulus smiled, the first time I'd seen him do so. "Bellatrix told me to keep an eye on Andromeda."

"That doesn't surprise me."

That was the most exciting thing to happen all year.

As expected of us, Lucius went on to do well in his exams and married Cissy. I went on to keep my nose clean and by the time fifth year rolled around, I'd been made prefect, and been sat down by my parents to talk about arranged marriage.

Apparently I had some say in who I picked, as long as my parents approved. I wasn't particularly bothered at this point in time, but they said they'd like to see me engaged when I reached seventeen.

By the time I reached platform 9 ¾ on September 1st, I was already wearing my robes and prefect badge, trying to set an example. Before long, Regulus appeared beside me, wearing his robes and badge, and we made our way to the front carriage.

I felt distinctly out of place upon entering the prefects carriage. I'd been raised to be very proper, to sit up straight and never speak out of turn. Everyone else was just slumped about, not even wearing their robes, apart from the Head Boy and Girl.

I was surprised I was picked to be prefect. I tended to blend into the background most of the time. I'd never earned a detention. Even Reg had a few detentions under his belt, mostly for duelling with his brother, who I'd been informed had left home. I wasn't surprised. He'd always seemed determined to rebel.

"I suppose you got the same arranged marriage talk that I did over the summer," Reg said, and I nodded. "Do your parents have anyone in mind?"

"Not that they've told me," I replied. There were a lot of things my parents didn't tell me if they felt that I didn't need to know. Most of the time I preferred not to know.

"Mine made it abundantly clear who they didn't approve of," Reg grinned at me. "No half bloods, absolutely no mudbloods and no blood traitors."

"I suppose that rules McKinnon out then," I said slyly, and he frowned.

"Why on earth would you think I'd want McKinnon?"

"I've seen the way you look at her," I raised my eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said coldly. It seemed that I'd touched a nerve.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She's with my idiot brother."

I suppose that made sense. They were in the same house, the same year, and shared the same group of friends. They were also both extremely attractive.

"What about Cal?" I suggested.

He looked taken aback for a minute. "Our Cal? Calista Flint?"

"Yes."

He looked unsure. "I don't know. She's not really my type."

"You're hers," I said bluntly, growing sour. This conversation always narked me, although I was usually having it with her.

"_Boy_ is her type," Reg scoffed.

"Maybe a giant rock on her finger would calm her down."

"No. Definitely not. Not Cal."

The Head Boy and Girl called us to attention then, and we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation.

We were prepared to go to our separate groups of friends after the meeting, but we found them all congregated together in one compartment halfway down the train. Cal was flirting shamelessly with Mark Parkinson, one of Sev's friends in the year above. Sev himself had his nose in a book, looking up occasionally at the noise. Then there was Thorfinn Rowle, who was in our year, Alecto Carrow, who shared our dormitory, and her older brother Amycus, who was in the year above. There was also Mulciber and Avery, who I wasn't on first name terms with, but were in seventh year.

We sat in the compartment for a few hours, before patrolling the train. We found about fifteen second years all crammed into one tiny compartment.

"What are you all doing in here?" I asked suspiciously.

"Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon wanted our compartment," one of them said.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Reg rolled his eyes and walked into the compartment next door, before hastily backing out.

"What?"

"They're..."

I looked for myself, and immediately wished I hadn't. I don't know what was worse, watching them at it, or watching the look of pure horror unfold on Reg's face.

"I think she's a lost cause," I said softly.

He shook himself out of it. "It's fine. Really. It's not like I was in love with her or anything."

"She's defected anyway. The whole family has," I reminded him.

"Let's go," he said tersely. The couple hadn't even noticed us outside, they were so engrossed in their amorous activities.

I followed him back down to our compartment, where he sat and joined the conversation like nothing was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Once we were at the feast, Alecto, Cal and I were able to gossip quietly. I told them what we'd seen on the train, and how hurt I thought Reg must be because of it.

Cal glanced over to the honey blonde sat at the Gryffindor table. "She's quite pretty, I suppose. Merlin, I'd love to shag Sirius Black."

"Cal!" I gasped. She was absolutely shameless. And Marlene McKinnon was more than 'quite pretty'. Every male in the school admired her, just like it was unanimously agreed between all the girls that Sirius Black was the most handsome boy. Personally, I thought his arrogance detracted from his looks.

Inevitably, all the girls compared Reg to Sirius, and we were no exception. Reg had a quiet countenance, whereas Sirius was loud and obnoxious. Sirius had the build of a beater, whereas Reg was a seeker; smaller, slimmer, but just as attractive. Even more so, on a hot day when he wore his sleeves rolled up, and his muscles just hinted out from underneath his shirt.

Merlin, I was thinking about my friend's muscles. I shook my head to clear it.

"Sirius is a man slag," Alecto was saying bluntly. "Reg is sweet."

"Exactly!" Cal said. "Man slag means experience! I bet he'd be an amazing lay."

"Why do girls always compare me to my brother?" Reg rolled his eyes, just coming into the conversation as he heard his name.

"Because he's made a name for himself and you're a mystery," Cal teased him.

"You've known me for four years and you still think I'm a mystery?" Reg seemed amused. "Er, Lucilla, why aren't you eating?"

He'd only just noticed the absurdly small salad on my plate. "Diet," I supplied. My mother had put me on a diet to maintain my current weight, which she declared as perfect, and therefore would reel the candidates for marriage in. I'd been on it all summer and actually lost a little bit of weight, which I felt quite pleased about.

"You don't need to diet," Alecto scolded me. She had exactly the opposite frame to me, I was quite tall and slim, and she was short and curvy.

"Yeah, but her mum is trying to marry her off to the highest bidder," Cal told her.

"She bought me new clothes as well," I said smugly, and immediately regretted it when Cal threatened to raid them later.

"Right, that's it, we're parading you around Hogsmeade tomorrow," Alecto decided.

"Oh no. I know what that means..." I feared the worst.

"Exactly right. Makeover," Cal smirked.

"No one's going to look at me with you two around." It was true. Alecto's chest had burst out of her blouse on more than one occasion just this evening and Cal was so absurdly beautiful that I looked plain next to her.

After we'd been dismissed for bed, and Reg and I had shown the first years to their dormitories, I found Cal and Alecto on my bed making a list of potential suitors.

"Sev?" Cal asked. She had a thing for brooding older men, even if they were a bit greasy.

Alecto shook her head. "Half blood."

I rolled my eyes, kicked my shoes off, and went back down to the common room. Reg was sat at a desk writing a letter. He looked up as I came down the stairs, pulling my hair out of its tight ponytail. He stood and attached his letter to his owl, which then flew up to his dormitory and presumably out the window.

Reg frowned at me. "I thought you were taller."

I noticed now that I wasn't wearing heels, I was a few inches shorter than him. "I'm not wearing shoes," I supplied.

"Oh. Did the first years seem ok?"

"Yeah."

"Then what are you doing down here?"

"Cal and Alecto are picking out suitors," I said sourly, making a face.

Reg laughed. "My mother's doing that for me. I have some say of course."

"They way they're going, I won't have any say at all. Cal was trying to pair me off with Sev a minute ago."

By the time I got back to the dormitory, they'd given up and gone to sleep. I got changed and crawled into bed. I felt like I'd barely been asleep for five minutes before Cal was dragging me out of bed to dress me up.

"Can't I go to breakfast?" I asked grumpily as she pushed me in the shower.

"Where do you think Alecto went?"

An apple was waiting for me by the time I got out the shower. I bit into it while Alecto put various charms on my hair. I finished and she moved onto make up. My mother had bought me a whole range, designed to match my skin tone perfectly. Meanwhile, Cal dug through my trunk, pulling out clothes.

"Nothing too slutty," I warned her. "I know what you're like."

Eventually she pulled out a sundress and a pair of tights. I put them on and she charmed the dress to be a few inches shorter, and gave me a pair of heels to wear. Luckily, all the shoes I owned came with cushioning charms.

All the students in third year and above seemed to be in the Entrance Hall waiting for the doors to open when we arrived. Initially I felt ridiculous in all my make up but after a while it felt flattering to be noticed for a change. We joined our group of friends and after babbling wordlessly at me for a few minutes, Thorfinn was the first to pull himself together and offer me his arm. I did what was expected of me and took it. We walked ahead of the others, and I looked back to see Cal and Alecto giving me an enthusiastic thumbs up, and Reg looking cross, which I assumed had something to do with his brother.

We'd just arrived in Hogsmeade when Reg caught us up.

"Amycus wants you," he said to Thorfinn, who walked back the way we'd come.

"He's not the brightest wand in the box," he smirked. I had to agree.

Reg suddenly pulled his arm from behind his back and conjured a beautiful bunch of white roses. He gave them to me as I gawped at him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, once my thoughts had returned to coherent sentences.

"Taking someone's advice," he smirked. "And white always reminds me of you."

He took my hand, raised it and kissed it, and strode off.

"What the hell was that?" Cal appeared on my left, watching him walk off.

"Hey, I think he likes you," Alecto said, suddenly at my right. "Good work. No one can snag Regulus Black."

"Sorry?"

"You know what he's like, he's never expressed an interest in _anyone_."

I shook my head, and we went into the Three Broomsticks.

* * *

That evening I escaped to the library, just to get away from all the stares. People had been whispering about me all day. I suppose to seemingly come from the unknown into the spotlight was odd. I'd done a brilliant job of blending into the background for the last four years. As it was the beginning of the year, no one was in there. The first years hadn't found it yet, and only a few keen sixth and seventh years were in there. I spotted the two sixth year Gryffindor prefects poring over books, and a couple of Ravenclaw seventh years in the restricted section, and that was it.

I slipped into the small fiction section. Mother had given me a reading list to "expand my mind". After flicking through some of the books which contained explicitly graphic sex scenes, I picked the most innocent sounding one on the list and took it to check out.

Before I could get to the librarian, I walked into a tall, dark haired boy. Looking up, I saw that it was Reg.

"Why are you reading that trash?" he asked me.

"My mother said I should."

He rolled his eyes, probably thinking the same thing that I was; the only way that I was going to secure a husband was by being absolutely brilliant in bed. "Please don't read that."

"How do you even know what it's about?"

"I caught Cal reading it two years ago. It's just awful." He took the book from me and placed it on the shelf, and picked another one. "Here, you should read this."

_The Tales of Beedle the Bard. _I laughed. "But I know all these."

"They won't corrupt your mind!"

"Shhhh!" The librarian glared at us.

I placed the book back on the shelf and turned to leave the library, Reg following me.

"Thank you for the flowers," I muttered awkwardly, remembering my lack of manners from earlier.

"Did you like them?" Reg had stopped and was looking at me.

"Yes, roses are my favourite. How did you know?"

He smirked. "I guessed. I chose white because it's pure, like you."

Pure was right. As was plain, boring, and any other dull adjective. I may as well have a sign on my head that screams virgin.

We began to walk again, and I said something that had been on my mind. "Earlier, you said you were taking someone's advice. Whose was it?"

"My mother's, and..." he swallowed. "Sirius'."

"I didn't know you still spoke with him," I said slowly.

"It was before he left. He said something about how you were always different to other girls... at the time it pissed me off, I thought he was going to try his schemes on you, but he was right. You are different to other girls. You don't run around giggling at everything that moves."

Sirius Black noticed me? Out of the thousands of girls in the castle and the 90% that threw themselves at him, he noticed me?

"Why would it piss you off?" I blurted, and then my face burned.

"The same reason I distracted Thorfinn earlier, and the same reason I gave you those flowers," he smiled to himself.

Bloody cryptic, that boy is.

"Wait, you were taking your mother's advice? She told you to give me flowers?"

Reg sighed. "She told me that you were the best candidate."

"The best candidate for what?"

He looked at me like I was absolutely barking mad. "Marriage."

I stopped walking and stared at him in shock. Me, marry Reg? Marry the closest male friend that I had? Who, without a doubt, didn't see me that way, because he was hung up on his brother's girlfriend, who was absolutely stunning, and ten times cleverer and wittier than me.

"I didn't think about it at first," he said, in a rush, like he didn't want to say it at all. "All I could see was my friend... then I saw you this morning. I _really _saw you, not like the others, who only saw a pair of legs and tits for taking, I mean I really saw your beauty."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Reg," I snorted. "I'm _not_ beautiful."

"Yes you _are_," he said, his short temper beginning to flare.

I stopped laughing then. "You wouldn't want me for a wife. I'm dull and boring and plain."

"I don't think you are."

We began walking again, entering the dungeons. He stopped outside the common room.

"I'm going to write to your parents," he said, his grey eyes staring into mine. "I'm going to ask their permission to court you. There will be flowers and gifts, and then I'll take you out for dinner. You can decide after that if you want me."

He melted through the wall.

_Of course I want you_, I wanted to shout back at him. But he wasn't there.


	3. Chapter 3

True to his word, the next morning I woke up to blooming white roses enchanted around my bed frame, and a note on my pillow written in his elegant script.

_Dear Lucilla,_

_Your parents gave me their blessing. I hope you like what I did with your bed._

_Yours, Regulus._

"Good grief," Cal sneezed. "They're setting my hayfever off. You better make it worth his while."

"How did he get up here?" I demanded of her.

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" she said grumpily, before pulling her duvet over her head.

Alecto whipped the note out of my hand. "'What he did with your bed' makes it sound like he fucked you while you were asleep."

"Thanks," I said sourly, slightly annoyed that my two best friends had ruined the first slightly romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.

I got dressed and went to breakfast, not bothering with make up like I had yesterday. Not many other students were up yet, so all the food was freshly cooked and smelled delicious.

Then I remembered that I couldn't eat half of it. Damn.

I helped myself to a portion of fruit salad (my mother had banned me from eating carbohydrates and fats) and my goblet had just filled itself with water when I heard a voice.

"Good morning," Reg said, taking the empty seat next to me.

"Morning," I smiled in response.

"Did you like the flowers?"

"Yes, I did," my smile broadened. "How did you get up there to do it?"

"I flew."

"Merlin, I must look awful when I'm asleep," I panicked then.

"No, not at all," he smirked. "I was there for a while, charming the flowers onto your bed. You stay absolutely still when you sleep, did you know that?"

"As long as I don't snore," I chuckled, and he shook his head, slipping something out of his pocket and placing it on the table in front of me.

"What's this?" I asked, probably sounding quite stupid.

"A gift. Open it," he requested, so I did.

Inside the small box were a set of small, yet beautiful, pearl earrings.

"Oh, Reg!" I gasped. "They're absolutely gorgeous!"

"I thought they'd suit you," he said as I slipped them in.

"What do you think?" I asked him.

"You're absolutely beautiful," he said seriously.

I blushed, and we continued our breakfast in silence. Feathers landed in front of me with a letter attached to his leg, and I opened it.

_Dearest Lucilla,_

_Last night we received a letter from Regulus Black, asking for our permission to court you, with the intention of you eventually joining the Noble House of Black. Your father and I talked it over, and agreed that it is a most practical match. As you know, Narcissa is Regulus' cousin, and more ties into one of the oldest and purest of families cannot be a bad thing, so we gave him our blessing._

_Do remember your manners, and your diet. We are so very proud of you for securing this boy so quickly into the term. _

_With love, Mother and Father._

"Well, they don't waste time," I murmured, and Reg smiled.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it," I replied, realising that our heads were inclined towards one another. "I would like the pleasure of your company, though."

I've never seen Regulus Black smile like that. So heart warmingly wide, like he was actually genuinely happy to hear that I wanted him around.

* * *

That evening, when the common room was mostly empty, even after we'd spent the whole day together, he just sat there and watched me curl up on the sofa next to the fire and read. Well, I was trying to read. The truth was, I knew he was watching me, so I kept looking up and getting distracted. The fifth time it happened, I closed my book with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" he asked, by my side in a flash.

"You keep distracting me," I shook my head.

"Sorry," he smirked. "I was thinking about trying something while everyone was gone."

"Oh?" I said, intrigued, watching as he stood up and flicked his wand at the gramophone in the corner. He offered me his hand as a beautiful orchestral melody began to swell, and we began to dance. He had one hand on my waist, the other gently holding mine. His grey eyes were mesmerising, and I couldn't look away. During the dance we drew closer and closer to each other and then -

"Oi!" I heard a voice shout. "Boys and girls are to remain twelve inches apart at all times."

Our heads snapped to the source of the sound, and there was Cal, stood at the entrance to the common room, smirking.

"Don't mind me," she continued, heading towards the dormitory, still smirking her head off. As soon as she disappeared, Alecto came through the entrance, panting.

"Did she ruin the moment for you?" she asked, and seemed to get her answer from our faces. "Cal!" she shouted up the stairs, sounding angry.

* * *

**Cal**

"Cal!" Alecto called up after me, sounding pissed. "You can't just -" she came through the dormitory door. "What's wrong?"

"_I _want him," I snapped. "The smug bitch _knows _I want him, she's rubbing it in my face."

"She's not like that!" Alecto said. "Besides, he's never shown any interest in you, so why should you deny her that, when _no one_ has ever shown any interest in her before now? You can have anyone you want!"

"Not anyone," I said quietly, and left.

They were gone by the time I got to the common room. Probably shagging up in the boys dormitories. She put on this pure and innocent act, but I knew better.

Lucilla Malfoy was my friend out of convenience, more than anything. I didn't actually like her. She was too prim and proper, too bloody boring to ever put a toe out of line, and way too self absorbed to even notice when something was going on in someone else's life.

He didn't even like her! He was half in love with McKinnon, everyone alive knew that. Lucilla evenknew that.

It was almost curfew, so while I'd been walking around, most people had returned to their common rooms. However, I spotted an opportunity walking around the Entrance Hall, sneaking outside for a cigarette.

"Hey Black!" I called after him. I knew exactly how to play him. The thing with people who wear their heart on their sleeve is that everybody knows what their weaknesses are, and he had two; Marlene McKinnon and Regulus Black.

"What?" he snapped at me.

I put on my best concerned face. "I'm worried about Reg..."

He sighed, his features softening. "What's wrong?"

"I know he's in love with your girlfriend, I think they had something going on at one point..."

"WHAT?!"

This was easier than I thought it would be. He dropped his cigarette, and stomped into the castle, raging along the way. With any luck he'd get caught out of bed, lose house points and get a detention, confront his girlfriend, they'd fight and break up, they'd both have a go at Reg, Lucilla wouldn't believe him when he'd tell her that nothing actually happened, boom, problem solved.

I went to bed, satisfied with my night's work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Lucilla**

It felt weird to be passing everyone their timetables at breakfast. I still wasn't used to the authority of being a prefect. I could even give detentions if I wanted to.

It looked like I had my very first chance to hand out a detention right now. Sirius Black was heading over to our table, and he didn't look pleased.

"REG!" he shouted, grabbing him by the collar and pinning him to the wall. "What's this I hear about you fucking my Marlene?"

I dropped the glass I was holding. Pain twisted and shot it's way up from the pit of my stomach through to my chest. I hadn't realised I felt so strongly for Regulus Black.

"It's not true!" he gasped, struggling for air, as Marlene McKinnon herself arrived.

"Sirius, let him go, it's not true!" she snapped at him, trying to pull him off.

"Then I want to know why he's telling everyone," he snarled.

"He's not," I said blankly, not realising what I was doing. "He's never said that."

"Who the fuck are you?" McKinnon rounded on me.

"I'm no one," I said hurriedly.

"I'm going to hex the shit out of him," she growled, pulling out her wand.

"What on earth is going on?" Professor McGonagall had arrived. "Black, let him _go. _Detention! Twice in two days Black! I want to see you in my office. Detention for you too, McKinnon."

Sirius let Reg go, gave him a filthy look, and stormed off. Reg rubbed his neck where Sirius had gotten hold of him.

"Reg?" I asked quietly. He turned abruptly and stalked out of the Great Hall. I ran out after him, finally catching up with him after he'd sat down at the lake.

"I don't like what he turns me into," Reg said suddenly, after a few minutes of silence. "He makes me so angry, then I just forget everything else and I can only focus on one thing." He turned to me. "I promise, I've never slept with her. I've barely even spoken to her since third year. I expressed an interest in her once and she made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to know."

He sounded like he was pleading with me. Why was what I thought so important?

My thoughts must have shown on my face, because he laughed, a hollow laugh without any real humour. "You don't see yourself very clearly at all, do you? You don't know the mere effect your presence has on me. You make me want to be a better person... a better man."

"I believe you," I said, once I'd found the words. "About McKinnon. Not about me."

"Why not?"

"Why would you even mean any of that?" I asked. "Look at me! I blend into the background. I'm not clever or witty or even really that special to look at."

That was when he kissed me.

It wasn't gentle. It was like a forceful ball of energy when he grabbed the back of my neck and firmly planted his lips on mine. I hesitated for a moment, before kissing him back.

"You see what you do to me?" he whispered after we'd broken apart. "It pisses me off so much that you can't see how special you are to me, you wind me up so much that I just had to give in and kiss you and it shouldn't have been like that at all."

"How should it have been then?" I asked him.

His hands didn't touch me this time. He leaned in slowly, his grey eyes on my lips, and kissed me gently and tenderly.

"You deserve the best, and I'm going to be the best. For you."

* * *

After that, we were a real couple. Not many people knew, as we only ever kissed or held hands in private. But we studied together, sat together in classes, and were always in each others company.

Christmas was coming up and my mother had written to me to remind me of the Malfoy Christmas ball that we held every year, hinting at inviting Reg to stay for a few days over the holiday.

_Why don't _you _invite him mother, and while you're at it, invite his whole bloody family, _I thought irritatedly to myself one morning while sipping my (black) coffee. They always came anyway, I didn't see what difference it would make. Today was a Saturday, and I was to meet my mother in Hogsmeade and travel with her to Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley to get my dress for the ball fitted. I knew she'd throw a fit if I turned up without make up on so I applied it carefully that morning, choosing my clothes carefully, as it was cold, but I had to look presentable and respectable. Upholding the family name was so exhausting sometimes.

I met her at ten o' clock sharp, with Alecto and Cal, and Reg came to see me off.

"Mother, this is Regulus Black," I introduced him, and he bowed respectfully, while Cal and Alecto giggled in the background.

After a few minutes of small talk, we Flooed from a back room of the Three Broomsticks into Diagon Alley. Usually we apparated, but with so many of us unlicensed, it made more sense to travel by Floo Powder.

Mother had chosen my dress, of course, and I disappeared to change, while Alecto and Cal browsed.

"Sweet Circe," Alecto gasped as I stepped out. "You could model, you know that?"

I giggled. "Don't be ridiculous."

Madam Malkin pinned my dress to the correct size. "You've grown three inches and lost two dress sizes. What on earth have you been doing?"

My mother nodded approvingly at me. "Take a look, darling."

I spun to look in the mirror. I was wearing a smoky grey dress, strapless and tight at the bust and waist, but loose with a feathery texture from the top of the hips, flowing down to my feet, where Madam Malkin was currently directing the pins into place for the hem with her wand.

"Shoes!" Cal squealed from somewhere.

"Oh yes, shoes!" My mother gasped, as if she'd completely forgotten about them. Madam Malkin flicked her wand and two boxes zoomed forwards.

"It's a good job you mentioned them, Mrs Malfoy. Here are two pairs that match Miss Malfoy's dress; a pair of ballet slippers, which ought to be more comfortable for an evening of dancing with her beau, or a pair with a small heel, which I can place cushioning charms in."

"Merlin, don't get the heels," Cal wrinkled her nose. "They're disgusting."

"You don't want to end up taller than Reg," Alecto added.

"He's over 6 feet!" I said, exasperated. "May I try them both, please?"

It was a unanimous vote in the end to go with the ballet slippers.

"Darling, you look so beautiful," my mother had tears in her eyes.

"I remember when you came in here before you began at Hogwarts," Madam Malkin reminisced. "You were barely five feet tall, and you'd outgrown your robes by November!"

"She's grown up so fast," Mother sobbed. Alecto and Cal rolled their eyes and I disappeared to change back into my clothes.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was the day we were travelling back from Hogwarts, and all too soon Christmas day had rolled around, and as usual, the entire house was manic with preparations for the ball. A small army of house elves were scurrying about all over the place, but I'd been confined to my room with Cissy and Bella.

I'd met Bella a few times before, and Cissy had warned me that she was a bit... well... crazy, is the only word that ever springs to mind when I see Bella. She was beautiful, of course, the entire Black family is, with thick, dark hair that fell to the middle of her back in gracious waves, her dark eyes swept with eyeliner. But get on the wrong side of her, intentionally or not, and she went absolutely mad. She was currently wrapped in a black silk robe, speaking to her husband at the door.

"I'll behave as I see fit, Rod," she told him coldly.

"I mean it Bella, your mother specifically told me she'd curse me into the New Year if I let you misbehave tonight."

"If someone provokes me -"

"Sirius has left the Black household. There's no one here to provoke you, Bella."

She said a short goodbye, and snapped the door shut. It appeared that arranged marriage could go to two extremes; a completely loveless marriage, made out of convenience, like Bella and Rod's, or one where both parties cared a great deal for each other, like Cissy and Lucius. I was told by my mother that if I was lucky, my partner would be tolerable and we would live comfortably. It didn't seem to be that way with Reg.

"Fetch my dress," Bella snapped at one of the house elves, who scurried off, shaking.

"Be nice, Bella," Cissy told her.

"Oh alright Cissy. I suppose I'd rather have those vile creatures touch my dress than filthy muggles or mudbloods."

Cissy rolled her blue eyes and continued to let her house elf apply her make up. Cissy looked more like me, blonde with pale skin. However, her hair was straightened completely out. Mine was currently in curlers as two house elves worked on my face. It took a lot of doing. Even Bella had sniffed at me earlier and called me plain.

About an hour later, I'd gotten into my dress and shoes and was just slipping my earrings in.

"What are they?" Bella demanded.

"Reg gave them to me," I answered, a bit shocked from her brusque manner.

Bella laughed. "I like her. She's obedient."

"Bella, you can't speak like that downstairs," Cissy scolded her.

The only remaining house elf that Bella hadn't scared off took the rollers out of my hair. I barely recognised myself in the full length mirror.

"She'll be a nice addition to the House of Black," Bella said. I thanked her, as it was probably the closest thing to a compliment I'd ever get from her. She and Cissy disappeared downstairs as I waited for my father.

He knocked a few minutes after they'd gone, and the house elf opened the door for him.

"Lucilla," he smiled at me. "Darling, you look absolutely beautiful."

I took his arm, and we descended the staircase towards the ball.

Reg was waiting for me at the bottom. His pale grey eyes widened as his gaze fell upon me. Our mothers weren't far away, watching with looks of glee upon their faces.

My father left when we reached the bottom of the stairs. Reg stared at me for a full minute before remembering his manners and took my hand to kiss. I spotted his mother nodding approvingly on the other side of the room.

"You look... just... wow," he said.

I couldn't help it. I giggled. He took my hand and led me to the dance floor, where a few couples were already twirling to the orchestra.

"I hope I get you to myself all night," he whispered in my ear as we danced.

"I'm sure you will," I laughed. "No one wants to dance with me usually."

"I beg to differ," he said, nodding at a line of young men leaning against the wall. "I think they want to be your suitors."

I chanced a glance behind me, just in case he was joking. He wasn't. A line of five or six young men were watching me with him.

"I think I'd prefer someone my own age," I said lightly, not particularly enjoying the way some of them were leering at me.

"I'm not giving you up easily, Lucilla," he murmured. "You're _mine_."

I suppressed a shiver. I quite liked it when he got possessive over me.

* * *

**Cal**

Fuck me, I was pissed. I think I was on my eighth glass of wine, or was it seventh? It didn't really matter, no one cared. Lucilla was off making eyes at Reg, and Alecto was mooning over the fact that she was too ugly to ever get a boyfriend.

Really.

I suppose she is quite short and podgy. Lucilla used to be plain but this year, damn. She got hot. I was used to getting all the attention and there were ten blokes ogling her with their mouths open.

I readjusted my cleavage and walked past them, tossing a careless glance behind me, wiggling my hips as I made my way outside for a cigarette.

"Hello darling," a voice came from behind me.

"Oh, it's you," I said grumpily, realising who it was.

"Haven't you missed me?" Rab put his hand on my arse and nicked my fag.

"Of course, Hogwarts is _so _dull without you," I said sarcastically.

He raised one dark eyebrow. "You're off your face."

"Of course I am. Did you really expect anything else?"

Rabastan Lestrange. He's not attractive in the slightest, but a huge flirt and apparently a decent enough shag. He left Hogwarts last year.

"Wish I'd stayed at Hogwarts," I muttered. "At least there'd be some first year mudblood about to let some of my frustration out on."

Rab laughed, and produced a bottle of Firewhiskey. "One day, you'll learn to actually take your rage out on those who cause it."

"She doesn't think she's caused it," I spluttered, coughing as I swallowed some of the vile liquid.

"Well then you fuck it out of your system," he said, looking at me knowingly. "You know, you have quite the reputation for a fifteen year old."

"Can't fuck who I want," I grumbled.

"Merlin Flint, are you telling me you're a lesbian?"

I had to laugh at that one. "No. I'm saying I want someone who isn't interested because someone else is in the way."

"_Oh_. You want Black."

"Fucking hell, am I that obvious?"

"And Malfoy has no idea."

"Oh, she knows."

"Hmmmm, I have a plan. I'll get her away. You get him. Do your thing, then it's done."

I downed the last of the Firewhisky. "Alright."

Rab headed back inside and said something to Lucius, who made his way towards Lucilla, and dancing with her instead. She looked quite disappointed. Good. Stupid bitch.

"Oi, come with me," I slurred at Reg. "I want to discuss Lucilla's birthday with you."

"Cal, you're pissed," he said, and I waved that thought away, leading him out of the room. "Er, Cal, where are we going?"

"Talk in private. I want to give her something _really _special," I said, not knowing where this bullshit was coming from, but glad that it was coming out anyway.

We reached the bathroom and I shut the door.

"Close your eyes," I commanded him, and he obeyed, his long eyelashes brushing his cheeks. I stripped off to my underwear.

"How's this?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Lucilla**

After my dance with Lucius, I looked for Reg with Alecto. She said she'd seen him go somewhere with Cal, but she wasn't sure where. I wasn't too worried.

Alecto and I had just left the ballroom when I heard a shout.

"_No!_" someone was saying furiously. "I won't do it!"

"What the hell?" I muttered, heading towards the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom.

I opened the door.

Cal was draping herself all over Reg, who was looking very alarmed and was trying to push her off. Her dress was on the floor and she was stood there, looking very beautiful in her underwear.

I looked at her properly, and my eyes filled with tears, not because my best friend was coming onto my boyfriend, but because I could never ever compete with her in a million years.

I couldn't make a scene, I had a reputation to uphold. But Alecto did.

"Cal!" she screamed, pulling her off Reg by the hair and dragging her out of the bathroom. "You can't do that!"

I ran off towards my bedroom before the tears spilled over onto my face. I heard Reg calling after me but I ignored him and slammed the door. I sank to the floor and leaned against it.

"Lucilla," Reg's voice came from outside. "I'm so sorry. I tried to push her off."

"Go away, Reg," I said fiercely, trying to stop my voice from shaking.

"Please Lucilla... Trust me when I say I don't want her. I've never been interested in her."

"Are you fucking blind?" I nearly shouted. "Next to her I'm... I'm..." The tears began pouring faster.

"Pure? Good? Honest? Intelligent? Absolutely stunning?" he offered, and sighed. "I know you don't believe me. I just need to say... I love you, Lucilla. I love you, and I want to marry you."

I stiffened. This was unexplored territory.

"If you don't want to marry me anymore... I get it. But I want nothing more than to wake up next to you every morning, and go to sleep next to you every night. It's you that I want, and you that I love."

I stood up and opened the door. "What?"

His grey eyes locked onto mine. "I love you. I'm in love with you. I don't know how much clearer I can be about it."

"Let me get this straight. You, Regulus Black, who could have anyone he wants, is in love with me, Lucilla Malfoy, plain and boring, who's being sold off to the first bidder?"

"Don't be ridiculous Lucilla, I can't have _anyone _I want. I want you and you're being very resistant."

"I'm not resistant, I'm just trying to understand why," I argued back.

"I don't know why, I just do," he said.

I threw myself at him. I couldn't help myself. I'd never been so forward with him. My lips locked onto his desperately, my face still wet with tears. We'd kissed before, but never like this. This was rough, and passionate. He nibbled my lower lip, before pushing his tongue into my mouth. I pulled him into my bedroom and closed the door.

"I love you," he breathed.

"I love you too," I gasped between kisses.

He hesitated then, gently wrapping his arms around my waist, and leaning his forehead on mine. "I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do."

"Ok," I said, kissing him tenderly.

The door crashed open. Cal was stood there, fully dressed now, but clearly still intoxicated.

"I told you!" she shouted. "I told you, bitch, that I wanted him, the day we met! And you fucking took him from me."

"I... What?"

"Don't stand there and play innocent," Cal snorted. "You _know_ what you did."

"I... I..." _Shit._

The memory floated to the front of my mind, buried somewhere for over four years.

"_That boy you were talking to is very attractive," she grinned at me._

"_I suppose he is," I said warily, not knowing where she was going with this. _

"_Is there something going on there?" she asked slyly._

"_No!" I gasped, horrified._

"_Good. I can have him then," she grinned. _

"_Er, alright." I was a bit stunned by the conversation._

My thoughts were interrupted by Reg stepping forwards.

"You treat me like a piece of meat," he said quietly. "I never showed any interest in you. I never led you on. I never gave you any sign that I reciprocated your feelings. Four years is more than enough time to get over some silly schoolgirl crush. I love Lucilla and I'm _going _to marry her."

Cal snorted again. "_Love._ It doesn't exist, it's all in your head. Besides, what about McKinnon? Or have you just forgotten that you were betrothed?"

"_What?_" I demanded. I never knew that.

Reg sighed. "She was originally intended for Sirius, then when he began to go astray... she was given to me. Then the whole family defected and she ended up with him anyway. That's when Mother decided that I could choose out of the pure blood circle, because so many of them are turning into blood traitors now."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him.

"I was afraid you'd get upset. I never wanted to hurt you," his fingers brushed my cheek, and I caught his hand and held it there.

"_God_, this is ridiculous," Cal slurred. "Tell me when he's fucked you and dumped you because you're a virgin who won't be any good in the sack. I'll _really _give him a night to remember then."

She stomped off. I flicked my wand at the door and it locked.

"No more interruptions," I whispered. "She's right. The only thing I can offer you is sex and I've never even done that, so let's get some practice in." I took his hand and led him over to my bed.

"I'm not exactly experienced either," he muttered. "But if you like, we can try."

We lay down on my bed, him looking at me with adoration in his eyes. As he leaned over to kiss me, I could tell he was nervous.

"Relax," I whispered. "We don't have to rush."

He smiled that gorgeous, heartbreaking smile of his and suddenly he didn't seem so worried. He leaned over to kiss me again, his lips sure and steady against mine. My fingers tangled in his hair as his hands brushed down my dress, his tongue gently caressing mine. I used one hand to push off his dress robes, and tore the other one from his hair to undo the buttons on his shirt.

"I don't know how to get you out of this dress," he mumbled into my lips, and I left his shirt for just one moment to get the zip. When I looked back, his robes, shirt and bow tie were on the floor, and I slipped off my dress and added it to the pile.

He was rather broader in the shoulder than I thought he'd be. His breathing increased and his chest rapidly rose up and down as he stared at my breasts, before giving in and kissing me again. I pulled him on top of me as his thumbs tenderly stroked my nipples. I gasped in pleasure, and it drove him wild.

"Oh God, Lucilla," he panted. "I love you."

The mood changed from gentle and loving to desperate and passionate. I unzipped his trousers and yanked them down.

"Potion?" he enquired, as his fingers ripped off my underwear and pushed inside me.

"This morning," I gasped, as they drove deep inside me and he rubbed my clitoris with his thumb. "_Oh God._"

He guided my hand to him, and I began to rub, just teasing him at first, gradually speeding up, until he pushed me away and spread my legs wide. I groaned as he entered, an odd mix of pain and pleasure. The discomfort faded once he was as close to me as possible, and he began to make small thrusts. He kissed my neck, moving slowly downwards, while his fingers brushed against my clitoris. I couldn't help myself, and my hips moved with his, and his thrusts became harder and faster.

We both climaxed together, our moans making a sweet harmony. He rolled off me, panting, onto his back, but grabbing my hand and wrapping his fingers around mine.


	7. Chapter 7

That night was the first night Regulus Black and I shared a bed. After we'd recovered and composed ourselves, we rejoined the party. Hardly anyone had noticed we were gone, except our mothers, who looked smug, my father, who looked stern, and Lucius, who was imitating Father's expression. Of course, the majority of the guests were staying overnight, and at about one o' clock, they began drifting up to bed.

I came out of my bathroom in a ridiculous silk negligee that my mother had insisted on me having and found Reg in my bed.

"Do you mind if I stay?" he asked, reverting back to his usual formal self.

"Of course not," I said, slipping my earrings out and returning them to the jewellery box.

"I'm always surprised by you," he said suddenly. "Here you are, no make up, as bare as you can possibly be without being naked, and I still think you're absolutely stunning."

I climbed into bed next to him. "You don't have to try so hard. You have me now. I'm not going anywhere."

He grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I _like _complimenting you. I'm going into London tomorrow to get a ring... do you want to come with me or shall I surprise you?"

"I think you'll know the perfect one when you see it," I told him, pecking him on the lips before settling down to sleep.

A few minutes later, his arms crept around me and pulled me close to him. We stayed like that all night.

When I woke up the next morning, he was gone, and there was a note on his pillow.

_Lucilla,_

_I've gone to London with my Mother and yours, to pick a ring for you. I promise it will be beautiful, but no beauty compares with yours._

_I love you._

There was a knock on the door, and Alecto came in.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" I tried to play innocent, but she knew something had happened.

"First, aren't you mad at Cal? And second, what the hell happened when you disappeared last night?"

I sighed. "No, I'm not mad at her. She was drunk and got carried away. She's used to guys wanting her, I don't think it ever occurred to her that Reg didn't."

Alecto bit her lip, looking worried. "I know you love her to bits... but she's not a good friend."

"Well I'm her friend, and if she decides she wants to be mine, then that's fine," I said flatly.

"Merlin, you should be a Hufflepuff," Alecto said. "You're too nice for your own good, you know that right?"

I laughed. "I think I would've been disowned if I was a Hufflepuff."

She smacked me playfully. "You're avoiding the next question."

I blushed, and she crowed with victory.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"He's... he's buying a ring," I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.

Alecto shrieked and threw herself on me in a hug. "Oh my God, you're going to be Mrs Lucilla Black!"

"We can't actually _get _married until we're seventeen," I reminded her. "Reg is sixteen in January and I'm sixteen in March, so we still have over a year to go."

Alecto waved her hand in a way that suggested that this detail was unimportant. "That's still a year to plan the best day of your life! You two fit so well together. I bet you'll be pregnant before you're out of Hogwarts."

"I bloody better not be," I panicked. "All this work on my figure just gone to waste."

"We're back!" I heard Mother trill as she came through the front door and up the stairs. "Darling, get dressed, you're spending the afternoon with Regulus and his family."

I scrambled out of bed and leapt in the shower. Alecto used various charms on my hair to dry and style it as I grabbed my most semi formal robes out of my wardrobe.

Once I was ready, I Flooed to Grimmauld Place. When I stepped out of the fireplace in the living room, I noticed that there were candles floating all around the room.

"Reg?" I called out, as no one was around. There was a crack, and a house elf appeared.

"Mistress and Master Black send their apologies, Miss, but only Master Regulus is here today," he bowed deeply. "Kreacher has been instructed to welcome you to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Kreacher will take your cloak and fetch Master Regulus."

"Thank you, Kreacher," I said, handing him my cloak. He bowed, and with another crack, he was gone. I looked towards the sofa, which was scattered with white rose petals. I ran my fingers through them; they were so very soft.

"Do you like it?" Regulus said quietly, leaning against the doorframe and gesturing to the room.

"White roses can't possibly remind you of me now. I'm not exactly pure anymore," I teased him, and he blushed.

"Maybe not, but you _are_ mine," he responded, coming into the room and pulling me up from my seat to kiss me. It was just a gentle kiss, his lips merely brushing mine, but it sent my pulse racing. His hand brushed my neck and he felt my heartbeat speed up.

"I haven't even got the ring out yet," he smiled.

"I forgot about that," I admitted. When he kissed me, I'd been reminded of last night, and that had distracted me somewhat.

He took my hand and led me towards the sofa, where he sat facing me. "Let's talk."

"About what?"

He shrugged. "What we want out of life, I suppose."

"There's not much I want," I began. "Really, just to be happy."

He smiled. "I like that. I need to tell you something, because I need your support."

"Anything," I said.

"I want to join the Dark Lord."

"Ok," I said slowly. I wasn't really sure what I thought. I knew Lucius followed the Dark Lord. It was a noble cause, but a dangerous one.

"He's working to make the world a better place," Reg said, presenting his argument. "He can offer us protection. _He can keep us safe._"

"Ok," I said again. "I think I can get on board with that."

He smiled, and kissed me again. He slipped down onto one knee on the floor, pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket.

Oh God, this was actually happening. I still couldn't believe it.

"If you don't like it, I can get another one," he said anxiously, handing it to me. With shaking hands, I opened it. Inside was the most gorgeous ring I'd ever seen. It was goblin made platinum, with two pale sapphires surrounding a sparkling diamond.

"Oh Reg," I gasped, tears coming to my eyes. "It's _beautiful_."

"Look inside the band," he said, smiling with relief. The flickering candles illuminated an engraving; our initials and the date. _R.A.B & L.A.M, 26.12.1976. _

"Lucilla Aurora Malfoy," he began. "I love you. Will you do me the honour of being my wife, of joining the House of Black?"

"Oh God yes!" I choked out, and threw myself onto his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head as I cried on his shoulder.

"I think I want two kids," he said later that night, while we were laying in bed, hands entwined.

"Not now," I mumbled sleepily in reply and he chuckled, his lips grazing my neck. I shivered.

"Not now, but we could get some practice in," he suggested, his grey eyes blazing.

I was on top of him and out of my nightdress before he could say another word.


	8. Chapter 8

We were entering sixth year before I had any time to gather my completely scattered thoughts again. As soon as we'd gone back to school after Christmas we'd been preparing for exams, and then over the summer Mother had thrown us all into wedding plans. The amount she was planning for us, we wouldn't be able to actually get married until we'd left Hogwarts. Reg and I were considering abandoning everyone and eloping. It seemed the simpler option.

"You'll never guess who's Head Boy," I announced upon walking into the compartment on the train after the prefects meeting.

"Who?" Cal asked, pulling herself away from Mark Parkinson, who she was now going out with. She seemed to have gotten over Reg more or less after last Christmas.

"James Potter," Reg said his name with disdain.

"_What?_" Sev looked horrified. "How the hell did that happen?!"

Reg shrugged. "I don't know but he's Head Boy _and _Quidditch Captain, which means I might actually have a shot next year."

"Who's Head Girl?" Alecto asked.

"Evans."

"Mudblood," Amycus nudged Thorfinn Rowle next to him, and they both giggled. "Dumbledore's mudblood poster girl."

"Of course she is!" I said, exasperated. "She's not only pretty, but she has perfect grades, she's never had a detention or even got into trouble and the teachers all love her! Add all that to the fact that she's a mudblood and you've got one shining example for the first years. I have no chance at Head Girl next year now." The thought made me sad, and Reg squeezed my hand.

"Dumbledore might not even be running the school next year," he reassured me. "Maybe we'll get someone with sense, he's losing the plot."

"Plus, who can refuse a power couple for Head Boy and Girl?" Cal said.

I let them reassure me, mostly for my own sanity.

"Is it true?" Amycus demanded, changing the subject.

Reg nodded, and pulled up his sleeve, showing them the mark that he'd been branded over the summer.

"You're an idiot," Sev said from his book in the corner. "Dumbledore will throw you out if he finds out."

"He's not _going _to find out," I said sharply. "Because nobody's going to tell him."

"It doesn't really matter if he does throw me out, because the Dark Lord will teach me everything I need to know," Reg smirked at me.

"Yes but what will _I _do without you?" I demanded, before blushing.

Amycus and Thorfinn catcalled as Reg squeezed my hand.

* * *

Alecto appeared at my bed later that night, hopping in and casting a silencing charm.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Do you think the Dark Lord is looking for more recruits?" she whispered.

"He's always looking for recruits," I said softly. "Are you thinking of joining?"

"I have to be realistic," she said. "I'm not going to get married straight out of school like you are. My OWL grades weren't good enough to guarantee me a job, so what else is there?"

"Is there even any point in us being at school anymore?" I asked suddenly. "I'm going to be a housewife and you're going to be a Death Eater, what's the point in carrying on with our education?"

Alecto shrugged. "I guess it's two more years of being young before we go off into the real world."

"In that case," I said, getting out of bed. "I'm off to spend the night with my fiancé before he gets himself killed in the front lines of the war."

She grabbed my arm. "I thought you said you were ok with it?"

"I'm ok with the protection the Dark Lord can offer us," I admitted. "If he asks Reg to fight... or kill someone... I don't think he has that in him. I'd never forgive myself for supporting him in this if he died."

I grabbed my dressing gown and slipped down the stairs and headed for the boys dormitories. I'd never actually been in there. Everyone else except Reg's emerald curtains were pulled close, but Reg was sitting up, reading a book.

"What's wrong?" he echoed my words to Alecto earlier.

"I don't know... I just need to stay here tonight," I replied.

He shifted over to make room for me, laying his book aside. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. I laid my head against his bare chest and sighed.

"What if you die in this war?" I blurted out suddenly.

"Shhh," he stroked my hair. "I'm fighting for a better future for us, for our children, and their children. I'm not going to die. The Dark Lord won't let that happen."

He'd just had a shower, I could smell the clean dampness off his chest. It was driving me crazy. I sat up and grabbed his face to kiss him. I heard the curtains close around us as he shifted me to sit on his lap.

"Everyone will hear us," he muttered into my mouth, before pressing his tongue in. He tasted of mint, having just brushed his teeth. I flicked my wand and cast a silencing charm, before pushing him down and kissing his torso, moving my way towards his penis, which I could feel pressing against me.

He moaned my name as I took him into my mouth, his fingers tangling themselves in my hair. I used my tongue to drive him further to the edge.

"Oh God, please fuck me," he muttered.

Taking advantage of my pause for breath, he pulled me up so that I was riding him. I gasped as he drove into me. It wasn't remotely painful anymore. His hips thrust into mine and he used his fingers to stimulate my clitoris. It wasn't long before my orgasm came, and he filled me seconds later. Sweat dripped down his chest as he panted, his Dark Mark wriggling on his forearm as his muscles flexed with his orgasm.

I awoke the next morning to find his arms wrapped tightly around me. The dormitory was filled with the sounds of the others getting themselves ready for the day. I sat up and got out of bed, to find myself face to face with Cal getting out of Mark's bed.

"Do I need to ask what you were doing last night?" she smirked at me as we walked down the stairs. Thankfully nobody was in the common room to spot us, and we hurriedly dressed and went to breakfast, where Reg was opening his post.

"I have a meeting tonight," he murmured into my ear. "Don't wait up for me."

I nodded and he kissed my cheek.

We didn't spend much time together that day, as it was the first day of lessons and things were a bit hectic, and he disappeared straight after dinner. I didn't ask where the meeting was, I just knew it was away from the castle. I had ideas of making a start on some of the reading that the teachers had set and was wandering towards the library when I was stopped by none other than Sirius Black.

"Where's Regulus?" he demanded.

"I don't know," I said shortly, before walking around him and carrying on to the library.

"I know he's signed up," he said, catching up to me on his long legs. He was just slightly taller than Reg.

"It's none of your business if he has," I replied.

"He _told _me he had," Black snapped, and I remembered Reg's uncle's funeral just before the summer holidays started. "Aren't you worried?"

"No," I lied.

"Don't you read the newspaper? Crouch gave the aurors permission to kill."

"He'll be fine," I said dismissively as my stomach clenched uncomfortably.

"I can't believe you let him do this," he said coldly, and I snapped then.

"So it's _my _fault?" I demanded. "He's perfectly capable of making his own decisions. And besides, _I'm not his fucking mother_."

Black laughed. "Oh, you'll be the perfect wife. Sitting there with the kids being obedient while he goes out and gets himself killed."

"Piss off, Black," I snarled and pushed past him.

Of course, by the time I got to the library, I was too worked up to do any of the reading. I sat with my head on a desk, hidden between the shelves of books.

Reg finished his meeting early and found me at about half past nine, dozing.

"Lucilla?" he whispered. "It's after curfew."

"So what are you doing here?" I mumbled, and he pulled me out of my chair.

"Looking for you," he replied, grasping my hand tightly and leading me out of the library.

"Your brother's an idiot," I said as I woke up slightly, entering the dungeons.

"What did he do this time?" Reg sighed.

"Apparently it's my fault I let you enlist."

"That's a new one. Over the summer it was Mother's fault."

"I told him you're perfectly capable of making your own decisions."

Reg laughed, and smiled at me. "You're perfect."

"Don't be silly," I told him, although I couldn't help but smile with him. The compliments had never stopped after we'd got engaged.


	9. Chapter 9

At the end of October, Reg disrupted our routine by insisting on daily Quidditch practices for the team. Their first game was coming up against Gryffindor, and he was determined not to lose to them.

One particularly stormy night I felt ill, so I was curled up in an armchair near the fire, which was helping somewhat. Reg came in, covered in mud.

"Are you feeling any better?" he looked worried. I must have been pale.

"Not really," I grimaced. "I'm just trying not to move."

He wiped mud off his hand onto his robes and felt my forehead. "You're warm. Are you sure you don't need the Hospital Wing?"

"I'll be fine," I reassured him. "Go and have a shower."

"Let me take you to bed," he said, lifting me up carefully, trying not to move me too much. He took me up the stairs to the boys dormitories and laid me gently on the bed. A few minutes later, Cal and Alecto brought up my pyjamas.

"You look like shit," Cal said bluntly.

"Thanks so much," I retorted, pulling off my clothes and getting into my nightdress. I felt a bit better having fresh clothes on. I didn't know how I was going to cope sharing a bed with Reg tonight. He was always warm.

"I still think it was that dressing you had on your salad at dinner," Alecto said, looking concerned.

I shook my head. "I barely touched dinner. Besides, I was feeling sick before that. It's probably just a bug."

Cal nodded. "I bet it is. You've barely eaten all day, your body's probably just telling you not to in case you actually are sick."

I lay back on Reg's pillows weakly. I tried not to show that I was shivering now. All I wanted was Reg to come and join me. The girls left, and soon after, Reg got out of the shower, looking absolutely delicious.

My surge in hormones distracted me from how ill I felt and as he lay down, I mounted him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, stroking my face. "I don't want to make you feel worse."

I pulled him so that he was sitting up with all the strength I had and he pushed on top of me, his need for me suddenly as strong as mine for him. We didn't bother with foreplay, I pulled his hips close to mine and he entered me. If it was possible, his shoulders had got broader and his muscles bigger, and with his hair still wet from the shower, and the scent of his shampoo lingering in the bed, I just completely lost it.

My nails dug into his back as he drove into me again and again. He moaned in pleasure, before his lips were on mine in a frenzy.

We finished together and lay panting on the bed. The sickness had gone while we were making love but now that we'd stopped, it came back at full force. I barely had enough time to sprint to the bathroom before I was violently sick.

Reg was behind me in a flash as I bent over the toilet, scraping my hair back from my face. Once I was done he Vanished everything for me.

"Are you sure you don't need the Hospital Wing?" he asked again.

"It's just a bug," I insisted, getting to my feet and grabbing the toothbrush that I kept in the boys bathroom.

Over the next few days, I pretty much stopped eating. There was nothing particularly appealing to me, however I still threw up occasionally. I tried my best to hide it from Reg, who was starting to get concerned.

On the day of the first Quidditch match, I was feeling better, so I wrapped up warm and went to watch Reg.

"You should be in bed," he said anxiously as I wished him good luck outside the changing rooms.

"I feel fine," I told him, and kissed him on the cheek before I went to join the others in the stands. Once I got there, I pulled off my scarf.

"What are you doing? It's freezing!" Cal said, stamping her feet to try and keep warm.

"Is it? I'm really warm," I replied, pulling off my cloak to reveal Reg's spare Quidditch jumper and sitting down.

The referee blew the whistle and the players kicked off. I wasn't overly interested in Quidditch, but Reg enjoyed playing so I made more of an effort to pay attention.

"Merlin, you really are warm," Alecto said in alarm, feeling my forehead. "You're bright red."

"Am I?" I asked, panicked. I thought I was wearing enough make up to cover it. I grabbed my compact mirror from my bag. Luckily it was only my cheeks that were bright pink.

Half an hour later, we were leading by thirty points. Gryffindor's beaters tried their hardest to take Reg out, but he was good at dodging them. There was one close call as a bludger grazed past his elbow but he seemed to be alright. I'd had to take off my jumper as I was getting warmer and warmer.

Reg frowned at me from midair, signalling to the referee that he wanted a time out. He flew towards me.

"Aren't you cold?"

I shook my head, regretting it when I began to feel dizzy.

"Lucilla!" he cried, panicking as darkness and buzzing descended over me.

* * *

"Out, Black!" I heard a woman snap. "I need to treat her when she wakes up."

"I'm not going anywhere," Reg's voice said, although I couldn't see him yet.

"You're not family, so you can't stay," the woman's voice, which I gathered to be the matron's, insisted.

"I practically am," Reg said patiently. "I'm her fiancé."

"Fine," the matron gave up.

I managed to open my eyes then. Before Reg could ask me how I was feeling, the matron jumped in.

"You fainted at the Quidditch match. I'll need to ask you a few questions before I can diagnose you."

"Ok," I agreed, laying still. I felt sick again.

"How did you feel before you fainted?"

"Really warm. I took off my jumper and cloak but it didn't help."

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

I racked my brains trying to remember. I couldn't.

"She's not eaten for two days," Reg said. "She's been ill."

"Ill how?"

"She was throwing up, and she wouldn't let me bring her to see you," annoyance coloured Reg's voice and I felt guilty.

"How often have you been vomiting and feeling nauseous?" the matron asked me kindly.

"I started feeling sick on..." I tried to count the days in my head. "Sunday, I think. I've been throwing up about three times a day."

"What?" Reg asked, alarmed. "I only thought it was a few times!"

I grimaced. "I didn't want you to worry. It's _just _a bug," I reiterated for what felt like the thousandth time.

The matron shook her head. "If it was a bug you'd have recovered by now." She hesitated. "I'm going to ask you a sensitive question. Are you bulimic?"

"_No_," I gasped, horrified at the thought. I _hated _being sick.

"Alright!" the matron said, noticing the look on my face. "We'll move on from that. I have to cover all bases. When was your last period?"

"About a week ago. I'm not regular anymore," I answered, an awful thought occurring to me. _She thought I was pregnant_.

"Was it light?" she asked, and I shook my head. "I usually am, but this one was heavier." Reg was respectfully looking away, trying not to listen.

"I need you to be honest with me," she said. "Are you sexually active?"

I nodded, and Reg suddenly clocked what was going on.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?!" he demanded.

"I think so, but we'll need to take a test to be sure," the matron said kindly.

"How?" he whispered. "We've been careful every time!"

"What method of contraception do you use?" she asked.

"The potion," we both answered together.

"Well the potion is only about 85 - 90% effective," the matron explained. "Better forms of contraception are muggle condoms, they're around 97 – 99% effective."

She bustled off to get a pregnancy test.

"Oh God," I whispered in horror.

"It's fine," Reg said shakily. "We'll just move the wedding up."

"But people are going to know," I said. "They'll see me. I can't exactly hide it."

The matron came back with two bottles. "Drink this one. Wait five minutes, and I'll take some of your hair to add to this one. The first one secretes a certain oil when mixed with pregnancy hormones. If the second one goes clear, you're pregnant. If it stays red, then you're not."

I nodded and took the first potion. It didn't taste pleasant, but it was bearable. I was feeling less faint so I tried to sit up. Reg took my hand and kissed it.

"If you are," he muttered. "I promise I'll be there. I love you."

"I _really _hope I'm not," I said. "Not now. Not yet. It's too soon."

Five minutes came and went. Madam Pomfrey took some of my hair and added it to the red potion.

"How long before it changes?" Reg asked.

"Around thirty seconds."

Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Then a whole minute. It was still red.

I let out a shaky laugh. "Thank Merlin for that."

Reg sighed in relief, and grinned at me.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't smiling. "I think you were, and you miscarried. That's why you've been feeling ill, your body is trying to cope with it. The best thing you can do is get some rest." She got up to leave, dismissing us. "Oh and Black, make sure she eats."

Reg kissed my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Kind of relieved, to be honest. I didn't particularly want to be a teenage mother."

"Aren't you sad?" his grey eyes were probing me intensely.

"Not really," I shrugged. "How can I miss something I never knew I had?"

"I suppose you're right," he said.

"Let's wait until we're married before we think about children," I suggested, and he nodded.

"I'd like a boy and a girl," he said, before I hit him playfully.

"We're not married yet!"

"Sorry," he smirked, looking so deliciously handsome I kissed him.

"What about the match?" I asked, suddenly remembering.

Reg looked guilty. "I may have just left them to it..."

"But you'll lose!" I gasped.

He shrugged. "You're more important than some Quidditch game."

I was flattered.


End file.
